In terms of appearance, the beer has an almost cola-like look—deep brown with ruddy hues in the light and definitely on the darker side of the spectrum for a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Giving a firm pour, the beer will be adorned with a pale tan head that begins to cling to the glass immediately as it decays. It greets the nose with a ton of complex esters and phenols. Look for notes of very young, under ripened apricots and plantains, a subtle mustiness...

We found ourselves continuously going back to this beer, partly because it fascinated us as a tripel, and partly because we found ourselves even more enamored with it when approached without thinking of it as a tripel. That characteristic peppery and phenolic yeast contribution, a large structural element of most traditional tripels, is certainly there. But there’s also quite a bit more happening here in the mid-palate, with textured toastiness and caramel...

This brew is a European-style Strong Lager, a style which is essentially a much bigger, fuller version of more typical light-colored lagers. Alcohol levels are much higher than the typical lager, as well. Poorly made versions can remind one of jet fuel, with fusel alcohol notes popping out and biting the palate with each sip. Like Black Boss Porter, Witnica's version is much better comported. Pouring a crystal clear copper color, Boss Beer's noble hops...

The Baltic Porter style is most commonly brewed in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and is a hearty brew with much more of an alcoholic kick than your everyday American or British porter. Black Boss is no different, although we found it a remarkably smooth and well-mannered version; some Baltic Porters can be downright aggressive (which we like too!). On the pour, Black Boss offers a very dark reddish brown color with a sizable head. The aromatics...

Saratoga brews this lager in the style of a märzen, often called an Oktoberfest beer. On the pour, it certainly looks the part, presenting an attractive, lightly hazy, and deep, rich, orange-tinged amber color. Powerfully malty in the aroma department, expect prominent caramel, toffee, and bread aromas, overlaid by a touch of spicy hops. The flavors follow the aroma, which is a good thing indeed. The imported malts deliver a rich caramel character with...

Saratoga's IPA pours a crystal clear golden copper color capped by plenty of foam that leaves some lacing as it drops. The brewery describes it as a "West Coast" style of IPA, but we think of it more as an English style IPA given the prominent English Fuggle hop character. Look for some soft floral and citrus hop aromas, bolstered by a pleasant, almost vegetal, woody-earthy character that is classic Fuggles. Notes of caramelized malts with hints of toffee...

If this brew was on tap at New Mexico’s State Penitentiary, we’d see more people trying to get locked up. Luckily, it’s available to you without first needing a record. On the nose this beer is a dream for those who love a good porter. Look for big roasty notes with some coffee and a raisin-like, pruny character underneath some citric and apple tones and a hint of chalk. The roasted malts and coffee come through big on the palate too, while the fruity...

An excellent session beer, this brown ale offers up big caramel aromas, joined by nuttiness and some hints of both maple syrup and apple, and lightly spicy hops. Less sweet on the palate than the aroma might suggest, the caramel malt notes are still front and center but balanced a bit by some light hop bitterness. We found a very noticeable apple-raisin character that fore-runs the nutty, toasty finish. For a quick pairing, nutty cheeses like Asiago...